Drowning in Denial
by bodysurfer27
Summary: Robin never thought the strongest person on his team had a weakness. And he never expected that weakness to be him. Set in the middle of Aftershock, when he and Starfire finished fighting Cinderblock. Written in Robin's point of view for a change.
1. Losing Her

**A/N:** **So, because my personal life is in shambles, here is a dramatic RobxStar two-shot. Here is how I envisioned the RobxStar scene from Aftershock to go. I do not own Teen Titans.**

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Falling.

The sensation of falling caused my instincts to kick in. My body rotated so I rolled on the rocky ground instead of crashed into the ground. My black cape whirled around me yet I kept my arms from getting tangled in the thick material. The impact hardly hurt me, thanks to the countless training I have received from Batman himself.

I looked up from the dark rocky earth. Where I previously stood laid a boulder. An abnormally large jagged heavy boulder. Large enough for me to envision myself as an ant on the receiving end of that such boulder. I breathed a small thankful sigh of relief my death was not 'splatter by rock.'

Fear coursed through my veins and my heart hammered in my chest once I did see what-or who on top of the boulder. Terra stood on top of the boulder. Her victorious smirk had my stomach churning. Whatever she had planned was enough to make me nervous.

"Oh, Robin." Terra called out to me in a sing-song voice.

I rose into a crouch cautiously. Any wrong move could set the ex-Titan on a rampage. A wicked smile spread across her features, her victorious smirk now a beaming unnaturally excited toothy smile. My heartbeat pounded in my ears and my green gloves suddenly felt sticky and coated with sweat.

"I believe I have something that belongs to you. Something...important." Her giddy stance had the hair on my arms raising. She brought her hand out from behind her back, and all the color drained from my face. Starfire hung limp like a rag doll. Terra held her by her throat. Blood dripped down the sides of her legs. The breath caught in my throat and all I could focus on was the steady crimson color sliding down Starfire's flesh.

"Terra." I growled, refusing to show any emotion. All that training to hide what I'm feeling is suddenly slipping my mind. My eyes remained locked onto Terra, forcing my attention away from my unconscious teammate. "Let her go, Terra." I kept my tone blank and my voice unnaturally slow. Terra's eyes glowed with a sickening excitement.

"Whatever you say, Robin." She released her grip from Starfire's throat.

"No! Starfire!" The words echoed through the night, however that didn't matter to me anymore. My only thought was to get to Starfire.

Time stopped as the Tamaranean dropped through the air and down the side of the rocky cliff. My lungs burned and my mouth ran dry as I tried to process what just happened. Shakily, I got up on my feet. My head grew lightheaded and I swallowed. Now was not the time to get emotional. Only one thought repeated over and over again in my mind. Like a mantra. Forcing me to ignore all those years of training and mastering plans.

 _I have to get to Starfire._

I took off running towards the edge of the cliff. I cursed my trembling fingers as I tried to undo the latch on my cape. After what seemed like minutes, the latch finally clicked and the material flew onto the ground below me. I scanned the surface of the dark water. No sign of her appeared. Blinking, I knew what I had to do.

My feet propelled me off the rocky earth and the air whooshed around me as I felt myself falling for a second time in the last ten minutes. My arms raised and I dove straight into the water. Coldness surrounded me and the water sliced my body like shards of glass. Frantically, I waved my arms and kicked my legs in my haste to find her. Any sign of her.

As I forced myself to swim lower into the colder never-ending abyss of water, I couldn't stop myself from inwardly panicking. The strongest person on my team was currently unconscious and drowning. If Terra could knock out Starfire, who knows what she is capable of doing to the rest of my team.

A flash of dark red caught my eye and I kicked my legs harder, focused on reaching her free-falling form. My fingers caught her wrist and I used my speed to tug her towards me. I angled myself so our bodies faced each other and my feet brushed some type of sandy rocky ocean floor. Her head bobbed up and down in the water, her hair hiding her face from me. Once she was closer to me, I wrapped my arm around her waist. My feet pushed off the seafloor and we rocketed towards the surface of the water. My lungs were burning and once my head broke through the surface all I felt was relief. My chest heaved as I took in the much necessary oxygen.

Starfire's head rested against my shoulder. Her wild red hair tangled around her face. My heart hammering in my chest, I focused all of my energy on getting the both of us to the shoreline. The water numbed my face yet I forced myself to swim faster. Quickly, the shoreline became within reach. I lifted her bridal style as the ability to stand on the sandy beach became easier. I shivered when my neck hit the cold atmosphere. Still, I kept walking.

I laid her unresponsive body on the sandy shore. My eyes quickly did a mental analysis of her body. Red stained my green gloves and the sand underneath her. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. My hands shook. My mouth ran dry. She wasn't breathing.

 _Starfire wasn't breathing._

"Okay, I can do this." I muttered, regaining control of my emotions. "I can do this." My gloved hands hovered over her chest. I swallowed down the fear. My left hand covered my right. Then, I pressed them on her chest. I kept my eyes on her face. My compressions quickened. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. I opened her mouth then blew air into hers, my actions centered on saving her life. "C'mon Star. Don't do this." I repeated my compressions and followed with the breathing. "C'mon Star. C'mon Star. C'mon Star." I swallowed and repeated CPR. I closed my eyes and tried one last time. She still wasn't breathing.

I fell back on my heels and my chest constricted. My hand clutched the fabric over my heart. I couldn't breathe. My heartbeat rang in my ears. I couldn't save her. I lost her...


	2. Terra Will Pay For What She's Done

**A/N:** **Last chapter. Thank you for all the reviews and the follows/favorites. You guys are amazing! And because so many of you wished for a happy ending, (cue the Pirate Movie song- _Give Me A Happy Ending_ -playing in the background as I write this chapter) I'll be nice and give it to you. Enjoy!**

 ***Words in Italics are Robin's thoughts he doesn't have the nerve to say out loud.***

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"Heugh." Starfire gasped, choking on water. My eyes flashed open. I turned to face her, my mind racing a mile a minute. Her eyes were still closed, however her chest rapidly heaved up and down. She coughed, salt water spilling out of the corner of her mouth.

My heart was beating so loud I'm sure the whole city could hear. My fingers trembled and my lips parted.

 _That's not possible._

She wasn't breathing. She. Wasn't. Breathing. I didn't save her. I was too late. I'm dreaming. I have to be. This isn't real.

 _But it is._

Starfire sat up quickly, the salt water still spilling from her now parted lips. She was on all fours in the blink of an eye. The noises of her choking snapped my mind out of its shocked state.

 _She's here. She's breathing. She's alive._

Water hitting the sand told me this wasn't a dream. I automatically reached out towards her, my fingers curling around her bicep as my other wrapped loosely around her waist. She tensed under my grip.

"Easy, Star. It's almost over." I cooed gently. Sure enough her coughing subsided. Her body crumpled, leaving me to carry her weight with my arm around her waist.

"Ro...bin?" Her hoarse scratchy voice choked out. It was like music to my ears.

"Sh, sh. I'm here. I'm here, Starfire."

"Are...you...?"

"I'm fine. Terra's boulder never touched me." She nodded slowly. "Just breathe, Star. We'll talk once you get your breath back." She nodded slowly again.

"What...happened?" She panted out.

"After the boulder hit you, Terra tossed you off of the cliff. She...she tried to drown you. I dove in after you." Starfire's silence sent my mind into a calmer state. My eyes took their time studying the abrasions on her back.

Four long crisscrossing red raised lines glowed under the moonlight. Her uniform showed jagged tears near the bottom of her cropped shirt. The water cleansed the blood from her legs.

"What the hell were you thinking, Starfire? You know better than to sacrifice yourself like that. Terra could've killed you-shit that water would've killed you if I hadn't jumped in after you." Her body trembled, yet she remained quiet. "Do you know what that could've done to me?! To the team?!"

"I...did not...mean to..."

"You weren't breathing." I swallowed down my emotions. "You weren't breathing and-and the water was cold and deep and-and you weren't breathing. You weren't breathing-you weren't fucking breathing and I swear I-I almost lost you. I can't lose you, Starfire. I cannot lose you too." I lashed out, my chest feeling lighter now that my mind had time to process that this was real and not some sort of sick twisted fantasy my mind created to mess with me.

"I am...cold." Starfire whispered after a long period of silence.

Carefully, I maneuvered her body so she sat in my lap. I refused to touch her back, being extra cautious of her injuries. My arms cradled her shaking form. Though my sopping wet uniform provided no warmth, having her close to me seemed to be enough for her. Wait...Starfire doesn't get cold.

"She tried...to kill...you." Starfire shuddered before I could speak. I rested my chin on the top of her wet head and pulled her closer to my chest.

"No. She tried to kill you. You weren't...you weren't breathing. I...I-" I closed my eyes to block the tears that had somehow gathered in the corners of my eyes. "She strangled you." I swallowed, forcing myself to remain calm. "She dropped you...you were drown-you did drown. I pulled you out...set you on the shore. You weren't breathing. I tried...but you...I thought I lost you, Star." Her fingers cupped my cheek. I kept my eyes closed.

 _I lost you. But you came back._

"I am...more stronger...than you think." A faint smile turned my lips upwards. "Do not do...the 'worry' for me. I am...the fine."

"I'll always worry about you, Star." She attempted to sit up more however I refused to allow her to move.

"Robin. I believe...I am...the fine now."

"Just let me hold you a minute longer. I-I need to make sure you're alright."

 _I need to know you're real._

"What's going to happen...to Terra?"

"I'm going after her."

"You are going to...hurt her?" I opened my eyes.

"If that's what it takes to stop her. I gave her one last chance, Starfire, and she almost killed you. She attempted to start a war with Tamaran in order to destroy our team. She's not getting away with this."

 _I'll kill her myself. For hurting you._

"How can I...assist you?"

"I need you to find the others. I'll stop Terra."

"I can help-"

"No."

"But Robin-"

"No! You are finding the others. Terra is coming after me. I'm the only one unharmed. If she's working for Slade, she'll target me next." She swallowed then nodded.

"Okay. What is the plan, Robin?"

"I'll use my grappling hook. You're going to go find Raven first. She'll heal you then help you find the others."

"And Terra? What if she hurts you?"

"She won't." A red blinking light lit up the crashing waves. "We need to move. Now. Can you stand?"

"I think so." I helped her up from my lap. Her legs wobbled however, she quickly recovered. I stood up as the blinking light grew closer to us.

"Use your communicator."

 _Be safe._

"I will."

"Find the others."

 _I need to see you again._

"I will."

I nodded then pressed the button on my yellow belt and zoomed up the side of the cliff. Starfire took off in a flash of green. I blinked and she was gone. I used the last few centimeters of grappling hook line to pull myself over the ledge. My R-Cycle was right where I left it in the distance. I retracted the hook then picked up my cap. I fastened the hook around my neck and the thick material blanketed my body like a warm familiar shadow. Terra had no idea what was coming to her.

 _She will pay for hurting my girl._


End file.
